Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-31
MEMORIAL DAY.
The Graves OF the Soldiers who Wore
the Blue and who Wore the Gray
Tenderly Decorated.
The Centennial OF Old Constitution Made
Anew by Our New Birth of Free
dom-The Procession.
Feace and Rrothsrly Love to All, from all
and for Alteration by Judge G. c.
Oummings-Other Speeches.

auspices Of Parmley Post No. 4, G. A. II
| yesterday, was all that the most sanguin(
could have hoped for, and passed OF in 6
manner creditsble alike TO the Post anC
TO the citizens Of Fort Worth. at 80
o'clock q. m. the Post assembled at Post
Hall and, after preliminarles, came to the
courthouse square, which had been Sc
lected as place of general rendezvous
Here vehicles, appropriately decorated
| with somber drapery and symbols OF
mourning, we're in readiness 10 receive
those participating in the ceremonies
! The recession formed at $3.50 O'Clock
a. m, ia order of parade as follows,
tO-Wit:
City Marshal Farmer in command oil
mounted police.
MaTshals in command of column.
Carriage containing representatives OF
the Fort Worth press.
| Carriages carrying the vocal music
corps, consisting of ladies and gen.
tlemen.
Carriages carrying Post Chaplain
Elder Gavin and other reverend gen
tlemen.
Omnibus carrying His Honor, the
Mayor, II. S. Broiles, city officials and
members of the City Council.
Omnibus carrying Hon. Judge Cum
mings and other orators of the occasion
Decorated wagons carrying martial
music.
Parmlee Post, as an organization.
Texas and Mexican war veterans.
Confederate states veterans and Union
war veterans.
Wagon with tank containing artesian
ice water in abundance and free for all.
Citizens in private conyeyances and cit
liens mounted.
The procession started promptly at 9
O'Clock a. m, and proceeded south Oh
Houston street to Third, west on Third
street to Lamar, south on Lamar to Ninth
street, thence east TO Main street, thence
north on Main to Weatherford street, east
on Weatherford TO Harding street, thence
north to old cemetery, where memorial
services and decorations OF the graves
were celebrated.
AT THE CEMETERY.
Upon arrival at the cemetery the mar
tial band, playing a dead march, headed
the procession of veterans, VINO filed in
and proceeded directly TO the tomb of
General Byrne, where halt Wss made.
After some excellent music by the choir,
JlG IlGLuDCl5 Va WHICH udu tsCHGlOuSl1
volunteered their services, and prayer
by the chaplain, three volleys were
fired in honor of the departed
comrades, and the order to break
ranks was given. Soldier and civilian,
those who wore the blue and those who
wore the gray, united in placing tokens
Of remembrance upon the graves of the
fallen braves without discrimination, or
inquiry as TO the part they bore in that
fierce struggle which furnishes the dark
est and brightest pages TO our nations
history. There were no Yankees and no
Rebels. Each felt that whatever the
faults and mistakes of the past, whatever
the differences, aud the feelings which
those differences engendered, in the
minds of honest men VINO were willing to
lay down their lives in defence of their
convictions, the honor and glory, the
greatness and grandeur of both sides
was the common heritage of oil
and all were ready TO do honor to
those who left this heritage behind them.
And they were right. No matter what
the northern partisan may say or do to
arouse passion; no matter what the
southern partisan msy say or do to
relTindle the old fires of hate and sec
tional bitterness, the rank and file of the
once opposing armies no longer harbor
feelings of resentment or revenge, and
no power on esrth can prevent them from
realizing that they are citizens of one
common country, ready to defend one
flag and to protect the nations honor,
uusullied. The colonel and the captain
may rail and rant and i'm
agine vain things, but the private
is ready TO extend the hand
of friendship, forget ell bitterness and
look forward TO g grand future, illum!ned
by the glory Of the past. Let 1t be SAID
that the victor should not receive the i'm
peniJent victim, nor the defeated Join in
celebrating with those who accomplished
his downfall; let the critic say that only
one side could be right, and therefore the
other must have been wrong, the soldiers
vii, reply: "TelI Us, by rule and art,
lust where bravery ends and foolhsrdi-
ness begins, where Iiberality terminates
and prodigallty sets in, where courtesy
ceases and serYility ensues, or
where we bid adieu to econo-
my and embrace parsimony, and we will
then be willing TO near why 8 soldier of
the north could be wrong in following
Grant or soldier of the south could be
wrong in following Lee. The impulses
and convictions which caused northern
men 10 offer themselves up as sacrifices
on the altar Of their country are esteemed
the purest gold of patriotism; by what
occult science or powerful alchemy can
you convert the same impulses in men Of
the south into rebel drOss?" 1t cannot
be done; and those differences OF opinion
cannot be explained. We know they eX-
ist and that is all. Our finite minds
cannot fathom the inscrutaole ways
of the Infinite. Life is full of inexpli-
cable riddles, and poor human nature
shrinks from the task of solving the
of them.
This weary life is passing, and we grope amid
its maze.
And our hearts Of all nfe's mysteries ask the
meaning and the key.
But we ask fruitlessly, impotently,
vsinly. We might as well attempt to ex-
plore the secrets of the grave, from
whence no answer comes to our question
iRgs,as to discover the springs
of action in the human heart.
In the dim voiceless valley of the shadow
no echo breaks the stiffness, and our
most subtle reasoDings on human nature
are mere conjecture. Therefore we can
with reason say that those who wore the
blue and those who wore the grey were
both right, because they believed they
were, and we can say with truth and